Friday, 27 January 2012

Nutritional Info – Calcium

I was spoilt yesterday with an Australia Day vegan BBQ,
courtesy of L-whack. I arrived to find a plate of garlic focaccia & hummus,
a bowl of BBQ shapes, a couple of stubbies of Bundaberg ginger beer (c’mon, it’s
Australia – gotta bogan it up a little!!) waiting for me. Ready for the cooking
was some sliced potatoes, onions and some vegan burgers.

YUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUM!

Om nom nom

Needless to say, we didn’t need much dinner!

Sliced potatoes - add olive oil, mixed herbs & salt - drooooooooool!

Calcium

Calcium is required
for the normal development and maintenance of the skeleton as well as for the proper
functioning of neuromuscular and cardiac function. It is stored in the teeth
and bones where it provides structure and strength.[1]

Today I am writing about calcium. It is something close to
my heart – my father used to scare the beejezus out of me when I was younger,
stating that I would grow up and develop osteoporosis. When I was a baby, I was
diagnosed as lactose intolerant so grew up not eating much dairy. I was able to
eat small amounts of yoghurt (something to do with the acidophilus reversing
the effects of the lactose?), ice cream (it’s mainly sugar!) and when I was
older I would have milk in coffees (although every few weeks, it would all build
up and I would spend a day or 2 feeling very unwell). But I never ate cheese (unless
cheezels count?!!), nor cream (unless it was brandy cream on Christmas pudding!).
I once had a Greek salad, but picked out all the chucks of feta. However the
small crumbles of feta left behind meant I spent the next 36 hours curled up in
a ball on the bathroom floor – not fun.

Anyway, we all know the importance of calcium so that we
avoid osteoporosis and other health issues later in life – and thankfully, there
are many more sources of calcium than just dairy.

Both males & females should 1000mg of calcium every day.
Pregnant ladies, elderly people and children need different amounts. A good
guide to calcium recommendations is found here.

Serving
size

(mg) per
serving

% Daily
Value

Tofu*, firm, made
with calcium sulphate

½ cup

204

20

Tofu*, soft, made
with calcium sulphate

½ cup

138

14

Spinach, cooked

½ cup

120

12

Kale, cooked

1 cup

94

9

Kale, raw

1 cup

90

9

Chinese cabbage,
raw

1 cup

74

7

Orange juice,
calcium-fortified

177ml

378

37

Bread,
whole-wheat

1 slice

30

3

Garbanzo Beans,
cooked

1 cup

80

8

Legumes, general,
cooked

½ cup

15 to 50

-

Pinto Beans,
cooked

1 cup

75

7.5

Soybeans, boiled

½ cup

100

10

Tempeh

½ cup

75

7.5

White Beans,
cooked

½ cup

70

7

Tortillas, corn

2

85

8.5

Brown rice, long
grain, raw

1 cup

50

5

Almonds, toasted
unblanched

28g

80

8

Sesame seeds,
whole roasted

28g

280

28

Sesame tahini

28g (2 Tbsp)

130

13

Sunflower seeds,
dried

28g

50

5

Molasses,
blackstrap

1 Tbsp

135

13.5

Soy or rice
beverage, fortified with calcium

250 mL (1 cup)

319

31.9

Yogurt, soy

175 g (¾ cup)

206

20.6

Fortified cereal
bars (per bar)

per bar

180

18

2 spears of
broccoli

90g

30

3

7 dried apricots

56g

40

4

Figs (approx. 4)

220g

506

50.6

Orange, peeled

160g

75

7.5

Watercress, small
bunch (raw)

20g

34

3.4

Curly Kale

95g

143

14.3

Okra, stir fried

40g (approx 8
pieces)

88

8.8

Red kidney beans,
canned

105g (3 tbsp.)

75

7.5

Chick peas,
boiled

90g (3 tbsp.)

41

4.1

Green/French
beans

90g

50

5

Baked beans

135g

72

7.2

Brazil Nuts (6
whole)

20g

34

3.4

Hazelnuts (20
whole)

20g

28

2.8

Walnuts (12
halves)

40g

38

3.8

Pasta (white),
cooked

230g

85

8.5

*
The calcium content of tofu depends on how the tofu has been processed. If it
is processed using calcium chloride or calcium sulphate, tofu may have up to
100mg calcium per 100g block. Otherwise the calcium content of tofu is
negligible.

HOWEVER, we should also be aware that there are
several factors that can affect the amount of calcium our bodies absorb. WHAT
you eat, WHEN you eat, and the natural make-up of your body can mean your body
doesn’t necessarily absorb all the calcium you consume. Sodium, caffeine &
protein in food affects how much calcium we absorb. Also the amount we sweat,
and how much we wee can also affect absorption. It’s all very complex and confusing,
and I am certainly no scientist or doctor. If you feel like an interesting
read, I recommend the Nutrient
Reference Values for

Australia
and New Zealand - but being 315 pages, it’s a lot of
information to take in! A lot of those pages are references etc, so I guess it’s
not THAT scary!! It’s an Australian Government document, so I like to think it
holds reliable information.

My personal choice is to eat as much natural calcium as I
can, but to also take a supplement. I’m making my way through a bottle of Caltrate at the
moment, but the vegan multivitamins that I bought last week also contain
calcium.

The combination of calcium, vitamin D and exercise also
assists the health of our bones. We all know we should ‘slip, slop, slap’ but the
sun is a natural source of vitamin D and we should all get outside for 10
minutes each day and soak up some rays.

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About Me

Late November 2011, I had a light bulb moment. I know that sounds really cliché, but I did.
I was reading an Animals Australia email which was about bobby calves and the actual process & production of milk.
I felt so angry with myself for being so ignorant, and foolishly believing that animal products came from happy, healthy animals (you know, happy cows mooing among the yellow daisies on the rolling green pastures of the high country).
From that day, I vowed to make a change in my life. L-whack (my man) & I decided to embark on the path to veganism and ethical eating. I admit that as two individuals, we will barely scrape the surface - but it’s a step in the right direction, and will do what we can to spread the word and encourage those around us to think twice. Admittedly, we are a quite a way off from being fully vegan. I’m addicted to all things chocolate, ice cream comforts me and as a coffee snob, the journey to find a soy milk has been.. well… interesting. I’m writing this blog for a bit of fun. And to educate myself. I’d like to look back in a couple of years and pat myself on the back for making such a positive improvement in my life.